Black-headed Grosbeak

The Black-headed Grosbeak occupies deciduous and mixed woodlands across the western United States, closely related to and sharing a similar heavy bill and build with the eastern Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Males show a solid black head, warm cinnamon-orange underparts and back, and bold black-and-white wing feathers, while females show a more subdued brown-streaked pattern with an overall buffy-orange wash. The two species occasionally hybridize where their ranges meet in the Great Plains.

Size and Shape

Feathers are large and robust, consistent with the species' heavy, seed-cracking bill, closely matching the size of Rose-breasted Grosbeak feathers.

Color and Pattern

• Male head feathers: solid black
• Male body feathers: warm cinnamon-orange on the breast, back, and rump
• Wing feathers: bold black with white patches and bars
• Female feathers: brown-streaked overall with a buffy-orange wash, less crisply patterned than the male

Distinguishing from Similar Species

Black-headed Grosbeak males differ from Rose-breasted Grosbeak males by the warm cinnamon-orange body color replacing the rose-red breast patch and white underparts; the two species' ranges overlap narrowly in the Great Plains where hybrids can show intermediate feather patterns.

Adult males show a black head, cinnamon-orange body, and bold black-and-white wings; adult females are streaked brown and buffy-orange, with a less contrasting pattern than males and a bold pale eyebrow stripe. Immature males resemble females before gradually acquiring adult coloration. Adults undergo a complete molt after breeding, prior to migration.

Black-headed Grosbeaks breed across the western United States and into Mexico, favoring deciduous and mixed woodlands, riparian corridors, and canyon habitats. The species is migratory, wintering primarily in Mexico.

This grosbeak feeds on insects, seeds, and fruit, using its heavy bill to crack open seeds and even to safely consume some toxic insects that other birds avoid. It builds a loose cup nest in trees or shrubs, and like its eastern relative, males participate in incubation and are known to sing from the nest. Its song is similarly rich and warbling, often compared to an American Robin's but fuller and more melodious, and its calls include a sharp, squeaky note similar to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak's.